Favorite recipe for a hot compress to use in your clinic

Not all pain patients like heat on their areas of pain, but many do. For those who don't you can use liniments and patches. For those who crave heat, you can use liniments with a heat lamp, OR use this hot compress in your clinic, OR send people home with bags of these herbs to cook up and use as a soak or compress in between treatments.It's simple but effective. I learned this one at the Shanghai #1 Teaching Hospital when I was a student there in the tuina ward. They kept a crock pot of this decoction hot and at the ready with clean towels for application on many patients.

Recipe for a Hot Compress

Hong Hua   
Chi Shao
Tao Ren
Zi Ran Tong
Dang Gui Wei
Chuan Xiong
Su Mu

15 grams of each in one gallon of water. Place the Hong Hua in a cotton bag or tie into a piece of cheese cloth to make your straining process at the end easier. Simmer for 45-60 minutes. Strain out the dregs and keep this on warm in a slow cooker in your clinic. You can reuse this liquid for 4-5 days if kept warm.

Use flannel cloth or old kitchen towels that you don’t care if they are dyed red by the Hong Hua. Use the compress as hot as you can stand to wring out and as hot as the patient can stand. Place on the skin and pat once or twice….place on the skin and pat once or twice. Repeat this until the skin is red and warm without burning the patient.

The patient could also do this at home for ongoing care of muscle, tendon, soft tissue injuries.

Bad Business, But Excellent Herbs in Tibet

Having recently visited my Teacher's Buddhist monastery in Eastern Tibet (an amazing place in a beautiful valley well over 14,000 feet above sea level), I can say that none of the business advice I write up for my blog readers would have had any impact on the stores and offices in the small, adjacent village where we stayed. On my several meanderings to find this or that in the stores there, it seemed a wonder to me that they survive at all. Still, everyone seemed reasonably happy and no one was starving....so what do I know about running a business? Obviously nothing if you happen to live in rural Tibet!  Just goes to show you that every culture has different rules and what works in one place would never fly in another.

What struck me first was that no one wanted to pay for electricity. Almost universally, the stores and offices were dark inside. They had lighting in most cases, but did not turn it on. Even the local Tibetan doctor's office did not have anything other than whatever natural light filtered into his office storefront. It was often difficult to see the merchandise and just as often there was no one in the shop when you walked in. One had to shout and hope that your voice was louder than the video game playing in the back room.

Second, there were no posted hours of operation on the doors. I suppose if you know everyone in town, they may know where to find you if you aren't in your shop! Anyway, just one more common situation that would not work for us in the West.

Then there were the dirty floors and counters, even in the food shops. I guess this is balanced out by the fact that there is clearly no stress due local or national authorities inspecting and handing out fines for cleanliness violations. Everyone was pretty laid back and friendly. If I was worrying about the dusty food bins, no one was joining me in my concern!

Last of all, most shops had no signage. Again, a very small village and everyone knows where everything is (unless you are a visitor). For example, it was only on the last day that we discovered there was a bookstore in town a block from our lodging, but you'd never have found it unless a local took you there. The whole experience made me think of the wild west; maybe that's what it would have been like to shop in Silver City, NM or Laredo, TX a hundred years ago.

Here we could never get by with non-existent lighting, no posted hours, questionable floors and counter-tops, or no signs on the front of our clinics! So what did these people have that allows them to stay in business? It's a small village where everyone knows everyone and everyone is imbedded in the community. That rule ..."imbeddedness in your community"... was exactly the same there as it is here. Clearly there were no brochures, biz cards, or websites required, and I've said it before that the smaller the community you live in, the less you need a website and the more you simply need to know everyone. That same phenomenon was operating in this village.

One interesting note. The Tibetan doctor there (many monasteries have one) did do house calls and was extremely solicitous of his patients. Our Blue Poppy formula, Immortal Qi®, which has among its uses the treatment of various symptoms of altitude sickness, worked nicely for most of us but was the wrong formula for one of the people on our pilgrimage. For this person, the Tibetan doctor prescribed a packet of granules (that looked like Chinese herbs although he was not able to explain to us what was in it) which thankfully helped her. He came back several times to her room to check her pulse and inquire about her improvement. We were told they had had visitors in the past who'd had to be driven 10 hours back to the closest hospital due to altitude sickness, so perhaps it's not a wonder he was worried about her.

Speaking of herbs, another thing we found interesting is that the Chinese have created an insane market for the local hong hua, gou ji, dong chong xia cao (cordyceps), and a dark/red-orange version of ju hua, all grown/produced in that area. These were all sold in fancy packages at varying outrageous prices, especially the cordyceps, in hotel and tourist stores in Qinghai province.

Upon my return to Colorado, a combination of Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan and the Blue Poppy Original Resolve Depression and Stabilize Sleep® got me back to a normal sleeping cycle in fairly short order, just to give that quite versatile formula a small marketing moment.

Here's hoping you're having a great Summer, perhaps interesting travel opportunities, good health, and that the lights are on in your clinic! By the way, if you read my blog and enjoy the articles and suggestions, please forward it to a friend. With the advent of the new website, people have yet to find my new blog. Thanks for helping me spread the word.



 

6 Ideas for Community-Based Action to Grow Your Business and Your Life

Feeling stuck today, like we all do sometimes, with not much energy or inspiration? I sure am! How do we create, innovate, be inspired and humane and compassionate and focused, and put ourselves out there physically and energetically, when feeling down in the dumps? My Mother would have said, "If you want to feel better, stop thinking of yourself and go do something for someone else." That sounds like something we, as practitioners, do all the time, doesn't it? We do, however, get paid for our care. So what could we do in our communities that involves and imbeds us even more than we may be already and does not have any direct remuneration connected with it? Here's a few ideas.

• It's July. Does your town have a Labor Day parade, fair, or celebration? Why not get a group of 3-4-5 acupuncturists to join the event organization committee? Or create an acupuncture float for the parade? Or create a donation-only community acupuncture tent with all the proceeds going to some excellent town project [Think NADA protocol]? (Don't forget your release of liability/consent to treat forms!)

• Is there a derelict field, park, or open space in your town that could use cleaning up? What if a group of local acupuncturists organized a clean-up party with free drinks and acupuncture after the work was done? What if that got on the local news and in the local paper? How would you advertise it and get wider participation (website, Twitter, Facebook, in-clinic signage, patient newsletters, press release)?

• What's happening at your local hospital(s)? Is there a public lecture series, any special events, or upcoming fundraising activities that you could attend? If so, take your cards and introduce yourself to the speakers, teachers, organizers, volunteer committee folks, anyone sitting behind a desk or standing at a podium. Perhaps offer to become a speaker for their next lecture series, or offer to participate on the fundraising committee. You never know whom you'll meet or what opportunity will arise!

• Join a team! Softball, volleyball, ice hockey, whatever. New friends lead to new patients.

• Coach a team. Little league, soccer, swim team. What kids sports are available in your town and do you know how to teach any of them? This is a great way to meet lots of parents. Take pain patches and Chinese liniments (and your biz cards) to practices and games for those skinned knees and elbows.

• Organize an acupuncture fundraiser for some important non-profit in your community. Do it in conjunction with their biggest annual event so that you have maximum exposure and maximum return on your time investment. Ask every practitioner you know, and even the ones you don't know, to participate. Send out press releases. Make a splash. Get involved. Get to know all the folks who work for that organization and event.

Those who give in their communities will get back. When you feel stuck or uninspired, that's the time to act! Inspiration will follow.

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.

- Samuel Johnson

Thanks for reading my blog.

Five Ways to Be the Life of the Party at Every Networking Event

We always hear that we have to “network” to build our practice. “Join the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, the PTA, and Toast Masters,” business teachers say. I myself have said that you should go to every fundraiser, party, speech, seminar, Chamber of Commerce class, PTA meeting, church dinner, book-signing, or other event where there will be people to meet and greet. So, okay, you might say to me, what if I do go? How do I “work” such events to actually become better known in the community and turn that into patients and referrals?

Here are my best ideas to get the most out of every event you attend.

1. Be the first in and last out. As a rule, the best networking opportunities happen in the 20 minutes prior to the start of the event and the 20 minutes after the function ends. If you main objective is to make as many contacts as possible, the always arrive as early as possible. You can even think of yourself as one of the hosts and greet and speak to as many people as possible and then say goodbye and “gee, wasn’t it interesting when the speaker said…” at the end. Mostly, people won’t care that you aren’t really the host, but will be thankful that someone was kind enough to greet them and make them feel more comfortable and welcome in a new environment.

2. What’s in a name (tag)? Okay so this one is a little hokey, but it works. Create your own name tag and put your name and then a quote or message underneath, either something inspiring enough to start a conversation or relevant to what you do and interesting enough that people will ask about it.

Or, if they will have their own nametags, open yours up and write your message on it. You can try something inspiring like, “The average human heart beats 100,000 times per day; make those beats count.” or “Choose a positive thought; the human brain can only hold one thought at a time!” or something humorous like “Needle little pick me up?” or  “Got health?”  This will start a number of conversations; I guarantee it.

3. Be a brilliant conversationalist. You can control any conversation by asking all the questions and then just sit and listen attentively. Don’t interrupt or talk much about yourself. People will believe you carry on the best conversation they ever had. Toward the end of the conversation or when it’s time to go, offer them your card with a simple comment such as, “It was great to talk with you; appreciate you sharing about yourself. Here’s my business card; I don’t know that you’ll ever need my services, but if you do, here’s how to find me.” Then offer your hand and a smile and move on.

4. Be a door prize. Offering your product or service as one of the door-prizes at any event that has such things, or as part of a silent auction for any and every community fundraiser, is always a good way to get publicity for being a real participant. If you can arrange it, try to trade the door prize for a copy of the attendee mailing list. Do this regularly for any clubs and associations of which you are a member and watch your mailing list grow.

5. Creative Introductions. You can make a memorable impact on everyone you meet by developing a more creative verbal introduction. So, instead of saying: “I’m an acupuncturist.” you might say:

“I relieve the full range of human suffering using very small sharp metal implements.”

“I help people run faster, jump higher, and recover faster from any and all physical activity and exertion.”

“I help husbands love their wives more every week of the month.”

“I make it possible for more people to get a better night’s sleep.”

You get the idea. As these examples illustrate, the way you introduce yourself can be dead serious and dead boring, or a little more fun and a lot more interesting. Your message should be a conversation starter, memorable, and help you market yourself and your services in a lighthearted way. Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Hope these ideas help you make the best use of any and all your networking opportunities. My next networking events are a class on my favorite acupuncture treatments at KAMWO Chinese Herbs in NYC, Wed. May 29^th at 7 PM and a talk on marketing at PCOM NY on Thursday May 30^th at Noon. Maybe I’ll see you there!

YouTube as the World

So YouTube is now the second largest website and search engine in the world. Yep…the second largest. Owned by Google which is the first largest! What does this mean?

According to Nielsen (the people who do polls and ratings for all things TV), at present, 60+% of all searches and activity on the internet are videos. The trend is upward and, by 2014, this percentage could be 70%? 80%? I believe we ignore this trend at our marketing peril.

People prefer to “watch” the internet rather than “read” the internet. It makes sense if you think about it.

So, what to do? You can add video to your site with a flip camera and good lighting, or you can have some short professional videos created. These need only be 3-4 minutes long, but at a maxiumum of 10 mins long.

But about what, you may ask???

1. The tour of your clinic is a place to start
2. A short video of you treating a patient with acupuncture to prove that it is not painful and horrible, but peaceful and relaxing
3. How to cook your Chinese herbs
4. How to do a few specific qi gong exercises
5. A video book review of a health-related book
6. How to cook congee (jook) (or some other healthy recipe)
7. How to do a self-massage for a given ailment

That’s seven ideas in two minutes. You can come up with more cool video ideas. If you put one in your blog, on your website homepage, a link to it in Twitter and Facebook, you will increase your traffic and visability and hits. 

Here's one I did for fun!

Helps you gain credibility. People like to see whom they are considering seeking out for service.

It’s a video world, my friends, and I guess we have to get used to it.

Check out all Blue Poppy's videos on YouTube...search BluePoppyTCM iin their search box.

Promote Your Practice Tip of the Week

Generate Good Will Through Fundraisers

Here's a idea for those of you who are able to participate in silent auctions or other fundraising events in your town. You can always donate a treatment (or a class registration if you teach something like t'ai ch'i) as a bidding item, but also ask the organizers if you can put up a sign that says something like "Bring your entrance ticket from this event for a free introductory consultation and treatment." It may only bring you a few takers, but if they are the type of people who go to fundraisers, they could be good patients and good referrers for your practice.

How to Really Work a Health Fair

by Honora Lee Wolfe

Where I live in Colorado, during the Spring season there are tons of “Health Fairs” co-sponsored by a large local TV station along with one of the big hospital chains and other health-related companies. There are free and low-cost screenings for all types of things like blood sugar, cholesterol, pap smears, body mass index, blood pressure, and how-to workshops for all kinds of things to help folks stay healthier. These screenings are very low cost compared with standard lab fees. Can’t say for certain, but I expect these events happen all over the US.

Our state association has developed a relationship with the folks who plan these fairs and encourages participation by members all over the state to help build their practices as well as for gaining general public awareness of acupuncture. Still, I am sure that many acupuncturists would ask, “What would I do at one of these events? What screening or service would I offer?”

Here’s a description of what I would do at one of these events.

1. Focus on the visual. Take an acupuncture mannequin. If you cannot beg or borrow one, get a stiff foam-core board from a hobby store and tape a good acupuncture chart to it. Prop this up on a book-stand or tape a triangular “hinge” on the back to make it stand up.
1. Small plexiglass sign-holders that say things like “Chinese herbs are everywhere.” Put this in front of a dish of ginger snaps with tongs for people to take one. (I used to suggest black licorice pieces but for people with high blood pressure this is a no-no.)
2. Consider making an herbal trail mix with goji, walnuts, chopped red dates, and almonds. Write up a little sign stating what each of these does according to Chinese medicine.
3. Some companies will sell you herbal samples to give away or you could make some small liniment samples of your own with one-oz bottles and lids from a packaging supply company.
2. Invite your patients. Offer a free treatment in exchange for them coming for an hour. These events usually run 7AM-12Noon, so if you could get 4-5 patients to be guinea pigs for one hour each, you’d have most of this covered. Put needles in points that are visible to people. I guarantee this will prompt folks to come over and ask, “does it hurt?” at which point the patient says  “No! it’s great! You should come!”
3. Have a large sign that says, “Can acupuncture help you? Get a FREE consultation here today!” For this you create a simple 1/2-page sheet for them to fill out with name, major complaint, what they’ve done to treat it so far, would you like my e-newsletter (and if so put your email here, which I never sell, rent, or share), and a short disclaimer that you are not an MD and are not attempting to replace anyone’s MD. These should be only 10 minutes, during which time you ask 2-3 questions, perhaps look at the tongue and take the pulse for one minute. Then tell them whether you think acupuncture could be helpful in their case and how many treatments you’d need to start. Something like, “Acupuncture therapy certainly has a history of success with this condition. Although you may see immediate change with one treatment, you need 4-5 treatments to see if we could consolidate some improvement in your case.”
4. Take lots of cards, brochures, research articles, anything that helps build credibility and gives you something to hand people who visit your booth. Have a clipboard sign-up sheet for your newsletter. Consider another plexiglass sign-holder that says “Ask me about speaking to your group or association about the benefits of acupuncture.” This could get you some speaking engagements.
5. Stay up front! You need to be on the front side of the table in order to engage people. Don’t sit in a chair in the back!! Make your body language say, “I’m here for you. I want to engage you.”
6. Video could be good. This is more complicated, but a video about acupuncture that plays in the background could offer some people a way to engage without having to speak to you first if that’s too scary. You can get good videos about the benefits of acupuncture from Acupuncture Media Works.
7. Two or more practitioners for your booth will be useful so that you can speak to everyone who stops by and not leave people waiting too long.
8. A coupon for a discount? This is optional of course (as are all these ideas) and there is always a case to be made for not giving any discounts, but a “10% off an initial appointment” coupon might get you some appointments right on the spot. I’d try one fair with a coupon and one fair without and see what happens. If you only get “tourists” from the coupons, ding the idea.
9. Work with a local non-profit. Another piece of info on your table might say, “Make an appointment today and we’ll donate ½ the proceeds (or whatever percentage is comfortable) of your first appointment fee to XYZ Local Non-Profit.”
10. A Fish Bowl.  “Enter with your Biz Card to win A Complete Diagnostic Session, a $100 Value!” Change the words or numbers as you like, but you get the idea.
11. Have a sign-up sheet. Offer to send people specific research or a free monthly newsletter or a link to a free ebook if they sign up to receive further information from you.
12. Take Time to go and meet all the rest of the people at the other booths and tables. Offer them your card, be friendly, ask about their work, ask where they work, invite them over for a free OM assessment (or whatever you are offering), thank them for participating in the fair.
13. Follow up. After the fair, get in touch with anyone who left contact information. Thank them for coming by. Include a biz card even if you think they took one. Encourage them to visit your website. Tell them to feel free to call if they have other questions about acupuncture/Chinese medical care. Anyone who wanted your eNewsletter, send the most recent issue along with a personalized email. Remember that many people may not be ready to become a patient now, but everyone becomes someone’s patient eventually, so stay in touch with those who’ve given you permission.

So this is work, but not more work than other marketing methods that get you out into a community of people. It may not cost you anything for the table at the fair, or perhaps a very small fee. However, the people who stop by your booth are self-selected and are, by the fact that they are there in the first place, interested in their own health. You will learn a ton about what people think and wonder about acupuncture, and you can get new patients this way.

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Honora Wolfe has been writing, teaching, lecturing, and blogging about business and marketing for a decade or more. Her book, Points for Profit: The Essential Guide to Practice Success for Acupuncturists, is the biz book to own for acupuncturists.